Valve mechanism for automatic train-control apparatus



Jan. 22 1924.

. R. L. MILLER VALVE MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC TRAIN CONTROL APPARATUS Filed March 6, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet l wwr/lll m 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 (m II" b Who R. L. MILLER Filed March 6 1922 V n m VALVE MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC TRAIN CONTROL APPARATUS Jan. 22 1924.

ll1 E Jan. 22 1924. 481,616

R. L. MILLER VALVE MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC TRAIN CONTROL APPARATUS Filed March 6, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 A 36 A5 5 n L Q l l w 36 /4 I /9 Q WW 6 0 $7 4/ BwerZZMdk Patented Jan. 22, 1924.

UETE

ATE! FFICE.

ROBERT L. MILLER, 01'' SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, ASSIG-NOR TO OTIS AUTOMATIC TRAIN CONTROL, INC., OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, A CORPORATION OF WASHINGTON.

V ALVE IflEOHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC TRAIN-CONTROL APPARATUS.

Application filed March 6, 1922. Seriai No. 541,552.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RoBER'rL. MILLER, a

citizen of the United States, and resident of V Spokane, in the county of Spokane and 5 State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve Mechanism for Automatic Train-Control Apparatus, of which the following is 'a specification.

My invention relates to valve mechanisms for automatic train control apparatus and has particular reference to improvements in valve mechanisms of the general type disclosed in the copending application of Kent and Miller filed July 27, 1921 and serially numbered 487,946.

The purpose of my invention, broadly, is to provide a valve mechanism-which will permit an engineer to set or release his brakes during such times as he is alert and properly observant of signals, but which" will act, upon contact with track devices which are preferably operated in conjunc-,

tion with the usual signals, to cause an auevent he fails to observe or heed said signals.

More specifically it is the purpose of my an entirety .may be simplified, rendered V quicker'and more positive in operation and readily restored to normal position by a novel resetting mechanism following actuation thereof by a track device.

My inventive idea is capable of-embodt and arrangements, one of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but it is to be vunderstood that the structure shown is merely intended as a disclosure of the essential features and novel characteristics of my invention in a preferred form, and that various changes, modifications and desirable additions may be made in and to thesame within its scope as defined in the appended claims. r I

In the drawings which are illustrative of features of novelty to be more fully described in detail hereinafter, and wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different views,

tomatic application of his brakes in the ment in. different mechanical constructions Figure 1 is a conventional side elevation of a locomotive equipped with my improved valve mechanism;

Figure 2, a vertical section of my improved valve mechanism showing the normal position of the parts thereof;

Figure 3, a View similar to Fig. 2 showing theparts of the mechanism in one position they occupy to cause an application of the brakes; I

Figure 4, a section on the line 4-4 of a Fig. 2. s

Figure 5, aside elevation of the pis ton and Figure 6, a section on theline 66'of Figure 4:.

Referring now to the drawings in detail,

10 designates a valve casing which is pre and which is'adapted to be suitably and permanently secured to a locomotive or other like vehicle at some convenient polnt, preferably beneath the cab floor thereof, so as to be disposed for actuation by suitable ramp devices located along the tracks.

The "upper portion of the bore of the casing 10 is of less diameter than'the lower portion 14 thereof and extending through the sides of thecasing and opening into the bore 13-near the lower end thereof are port openings 15 and 16, which preferably are horizontally 'alined;

Slidably arranged in the bore 13 is a piston 17 connected by means of a rod'18 with a second piston 19 which latter is in the formlof'adisk provided with one or more perforations 19 andslidably arranged in the larger borelQ Disk 19 is'maintained spaced with respect to -the'piston17 in any suitablermanner and as shown rod 18 ex tends upward through the head 11 whereby both pistons may be manually operated.

The

the length of the bores 13 and 14 and when said'pistons are disposed at their limitof 'movement in one direction, uppermost l'l ermissible amount ofsliding move -ment 0 the pistons 17 and 19 is limited by however, is at alltimes in communication with the bore s o tthe casing by reason of a port in the form of a recess 20 cut in the outer face of piston 17 and opening through the lower, end or the latter and which is adapted to "register with port 15 when said piston is moved downward. Gaskets on the piston 17 serveiopi-etem the escape of fluid past said piston in all positions oi the latter into the upper portion of bore 13.

Located exteriorly of the casing 10,.preterably'below the latter, is a valve 21 which is provided with a bore22 whose axis is preferably horizontally disposed and in constantcommunication ith the bore l'oi' casing 10 below piston 19. This casing 21 in the ,pre'sentinstance is provided with a passage 23 opening into the bore 22 and having threaded therein a pipe 24 which is also threaded into the lower head 12 of casing lO, whereby the aforementioned communication between the bores let and 22 is established, or the same condition may be accomplished in any other suitable manner as'is obvious.

Rotatably disposed in the bore 22 of valve casing 21 is a plug valve 24 which is retained within the casing'2l. by anut 25 and which is provided with a non-circular extension 26 upon which is mounted 011631311 of a U-shaped yoke 27, whereby swinging or angular movements or the latter are transmit-ted to the plug, the other arm or the yoke being pivoted to andsupported by an extension 28 on the casing, so that the yoke as an entirety is mounted tor-pivotal movement on an axis coincident'with the'axis of the plug. a

Formed inand opening through one end otthe plug 2 1 is a longitudinal passage 29 which has threaded therein one end of a pipe 30 which is bentinto substantial U- shape and passes throughop ening's in the yoke 27 whereby it is movable in unison with said ,yoke. -Passage 29 extends only partly through theiplugand at its-inner end is in communication with a radial passage ii which opens through the side of thepl'ug into a circumferential channel 32 whichex tends substantially one-half the way around the plug. This channel is adapted to communicate at predetermined times, upon rotation of the plug in different directions, with one orthe other of-a pair o'trelatively small ports or p'assages'33, 3i. formedin the casing 21and' opening to the atmosphere.

The'structure described in the foregoing constitutes all of the essential elements 0? my improved valve mechanism and when the same is disposed in operative-relation with an air brake system of well known type, the air supply pipe 35 is connected with port 16 and the train line pipe-36-is connected with port 15, while said pipes' o and 36 are connected'by aby-passpipe 37 by the yoke 27 and pipe 80 is disposed verti-v v cally thus causing the plug valve 2 1 to seal both ports 38, 3%, and train line pressure, because of openings 19', extends to the larger bore 14 oi casingrlO below piston 19, and through pipe 234- and passage 31, 29 into the :pipe 30.

Now when the locomotive carrying the mechanism is under way and the shoeeomes in contact with a ramp device such as indicated at39 in Fig. 1 of the drawingsset to operate the mechanism, said shoe is moved angularly in one direction or the other, depending upon whether the locomotive is backing up or moving ahead, to be left as shown in Fig. 3 of thc'drawings, whereupon the plug valve 24 is rotated and channel 32 moved into registration with one or the other of ports 33, 3 1, port 34 in'the instance given, thus placing bore 14' of casmg 10 incominunication with the atmos.

phere and resulting in an immediate reduction of pressure below piston 19, which latter' is then moved downward by the train line pressure above it until piston '17 closes port 16 and cuts ofi communication between the'train line and supply pipes 85 and 36. As long as the channel 32 remains in regis tration 'withport 34etrain line pressure exhausts gradually through the small openings 19 in the piston 19 to the 'altn'iospliere thus causing a reduction in the train, l-iii'e pressure and as a-conseque'ncea service'ap plication of the bra'kes." If, however,'it is desired to obtain an emergency application the engineer may do so by eiihaustin'gFair by means of hisfordinary control "valveby way of by-pass pipe 37. He'c'annotfhowever, admitair to the train line to release the brakes because of check valve 38.

ordinary operation of the mechanism,'re gardless of whether the plug 24 is err-is not rotated.

It isfde'sirable to provid'emeans whereby the mechanism may be conveniently restored to normal position following its'operation by a ramp device and after the train 11 5 Preferably the pipe '30 is provided with has been brought to a stop so that it may again proceed when the road is clear. To this end I secure to the yoke 27 so as to be movable in unison therewith an arm 41 which extends beyond opposite sides of the valve casing 21 and has connected to its free endsa pair of rods 42 and 43, respectively, which extend upward past the valve casing 10 and are slidably received in tubes 44, 45 connected respectively, to a pair of levers 46, 47 which have their inner ends pivoted to the upper end of rod 18. Said levers are fulcrumed respectively to supports 48, 49 rising'from the upper head 11 of valve casing 10 so that whenthe shoe is moved angularly and the pistons 17 and 19 move downward they are elevated as shown in Figure 3, following which, depression of one or the other of them will move both to a horizontal position and restore the normal status of the mechanism as is obvious.

,From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that the construction, oper ation and advantages of my improved valve mechanism will be clearly understood, and while I have herein shown and described one specific embodiment of my invention I desire to have it understood that I include as falling within the scope of the same all such modifications and changes as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. In automatic train control apparatus, a valve mechanism operable at predetermined times to effect a reduction in train the same to normal position following its 7 rotation in the other direction.

2. In automatic train control apparatus, a valve mechanism operable at predetermined times to elfect a reduction in train line pressure, a rotatable ramp engageable shoe having a normal perpendicular position and operable when rotated in either direction from its normal position to initiate operation of said valve mechanism, a pair of arms extending from said shoe, a pair of levers mounted on said valve mechanism and telescoping connections between related arms and levers whereby one of the latter is operable to restore said shoe to normal position following its rotation in one direction and the other is operable to restore the same to normal position following its rotation in the other direction, both of said levers being connected with said valve mechanism whereby the latter is restored to normal position simultaneously with said shoe when either lever is actuated.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

- ROBERT L. MILLER. 

